Then
write your stories!

We can show you how we write them here.
Copy our topics and writing style. (free)

Order the complete book here
for dozens more of Jack's stories. Use them as memory triggers
and examples of style.

We can write your stories for you.
Author Rick Kamen will telephone interview you and write up
your stories in a form your descendants will treasure. The
price per story is only $95.
We'll also publish your book-in-progress online at no
additional cost. View one here.

Why paper?

Electronic media are nice and fun, but only for a decade
or two. After that, the media deteriorate and the machines become
obsolete.

Put your stories on paper if you want them to last
indefinitely. They'll also be easy to copy, distribute, - and especially,
recognize. No one will discard your written stories.

______________________

Ask for a free
Elderhood button with
your
first story.

Your
oldest stories are your family's most valuable heirlooms. Let's put them on
paper so they (and you!) can be in your family forever.

______________________

Why tell
your stories?

It's your gift to your
descendants. Every one of them will feel as if they know
you. And you'll get to give them the benefits of your experiences.

Your stories tell
them who they are and make them feel good about it. Heirloom Stories
aren't just history
- they connect descendents to it.

You'll give your descendants some of the self-esteem and
support that elders give children in all societies - except ours.

You get to stay with your family.
Long after your body stops working, you'll be entertaining and educating
family members with stories from when you were their age.

It's fun. Elders have the most fun when
they're telling stories. It's what they do in all traditional societies,
and it's one of the few skills that improve with age.

Adulthood is about productivity (a.k.a. work). If that doesn't excite
you anymore, try storytelling. You'll be surprised how good you are, how
much fun it is, and how much others appreciate it.

It's healthy.
When my father (Jack) and I started our storytelling project, we didn't expect Jack to live
another month. His health and mood improved immediately and he lived another 7
years. Why?

Doing things you enjoy keeps
you healthy.

Having people genuinely interested in what you have to say keeps you
healthy.

Knowing you're helping or entertaining people keeps you healthy.

Realizing you're good at doing something important keeps you healthy.

Knowing you're the only person who can do this
important thing keeps you healthy.

Knowing you're appreciated keeps you healthy.

It's a good investment.
How much would you value stories about your grandparent's grandparents?
I'm sure they would be worth more to you than any other heirloom.
Let's conservatively value them at $100.

Multiply that value by the number of descendants you
expect to have. If you think humanity will last more than 600 years,
your descendants should number in the millions. (See "How many
descendants" in the left column.)

The product of (the value per person) times (the number
of descendants) is how valuable your stories are. That would be at least
$100 million in 600 years.

But, like the Gambler says, "The cards ain't worth
nothin' if you don't lay 'em on the table."

It gives you immortality. - Or as close to
it as we can get. The people who carry your genes into the future will
also carry your family stories. -And along with that comes your thoughts, beliefs,
values, attitudes, logic, humor, morals, and personality.

It makes you a V.I.P. -
And not just because you wrote a book.No matter what your stories are about, they'll teach
readers to think like you. - And that will make them act like you. Not
exactly, but a little. Multiply that by millions, and you can see how
you'll be a Very
Influential Person in coming centuries.

______________________

Are elders
wise?

We develop more common sense every day. By the time we're elders, we're experts in it.

How is common sense different from
wisdom? The first time we hear it, we call it wisdom. After living
with it for a while, we call it common sense.

Your stories are held together by your
common sense. Young people experience it as wisdom. - And it is.

Your wisdom can change a young person's
life path. - but only if you get into their heads. As an elder, you have
a direct, almost unfair, effect on your descendants' thoughts. - And
first-person stories like Heirloom Stories speak to readers from inside
their heads. Your
stories can do a lot of good.

But, like the Gambler says, ...ya gotta
lay 'em on the table. Your stories can't do any good if
you keep them in your head.

______________________

Why ask me
to write your stories?

Because you probably won't write them yourself.

Elders love telling stories. - But they're not
interested in work.

When adults turn into elders, their interests move from
working to teaching - usually through stories. It helps humanity because
our wisest members are more valuable as teachers than workers. (Read
more ideas about elderhood in my upcoming book
here.)

The best elder stories come from people who are the
least interested in working. And writing Heirloom Stories is definitely
work.

As an adult, I thrive on meaningful work. I specialize in writing Heirloom Stories®. I own the
trademark and domain name. I wrote the book, the website, and I'm still
charging 1900s prices. (Of course, anything less than $100 million is a
bargain. - Right?)